This may be a silly question but how important is it to match leader size with fly size. Yes I am aware that there are "Rules of Thumb". When Fishing piticulary in the park with its low canopy and tight conditions I tend to use as heavy as possible leader becasue I get snagged so often. On a typical day of fishing I may catch 4 to 6 with the heavier than recomened leader. Would my production increase if I were to size leader to fly correctly. Any thoughts?????

Buy the way, does anyone know where I could get a local stocking schedule or if one even exist?????

Grumpy

05-12-2006 11:21 AM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

I normally fish the recommended fly/tippet sizes, i may cheat & go to the largesr/next size up occasionally, that's just me.
If you're only catching 4-6 trees a day, something's wrong ;D

Grumpy

russ

05-12-2006 03:22 PM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

I refuse to use anything less than 5x. *If I am only using heavy nymphs then i'll use 4x. *Here is a link to the stocking schedule (I hope this works)http://www.state.tn.us/twra/06fishgd_web2.pdf See page 14 of the manual or page 17 of 32 of the whole pdf document.

Woody

05-12-2006 04:10 PM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

Guys thanks for the feedback. Russ this booklet has all the info I need and then some. This is quite a document. And Grumpy my tree/shrub/rock yield significantly out paces the number of fish I catch even on my best days.

Petey

05-12-2006 04:36 PM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

Most of the time when I fish small streams I will fish 6x for dry's, unless I am tossing big stimulator and madam X's. I will go up to 5x. If I am fishing a double tandem to a small midge or nymph I will sometimes drop down to 7x, but not often. Usually I will if I think the trout are being picky in ultra clear water, and I am worried they can see my tippet.

I guess most the times, beyound fly size, it is how hard the fish are to get a bite out of. If they are heavy pressured fish I tend to go small flouro. If I am fishing water that doesn't get a lot of pressure and has eager to bite fish, I may tend to fish a little larger tippet and mono, cheaper! ;)

Oh yeah, one more thing. If I am fishing a long slow super clear pool, I will go small tippet (6 or 7x) I have been known to tie on 8x before, but that is a test in futility sometimes. If I am fishing choppy water or around plung pool and falls, I will use a larger gauge tippet.

And one more thing beyond the one more thing above. In extreme situations (like real deep dark pools), if I am dropping a size 6 or 8 Stonefly that is weighted up nicely, I will tie on 3 - 4x flouro, just because you never know what will bite the other end. :o

You, know... after typing all of that. It maybe why I find myself tying more knots than fishing on some days. ::) May have to streamline this thought process. May have to do like Russ... pitch 5x and let it roll.

Petey 8-)

Sage

05-12-2006 05:26 PM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

In the Park: * *6X leader all the time with size 6 tippet - size 6 tippet for nymph droppers unless the H20 is crystral clear, then size 7. *Double dries are the same set up for crystal clear H2O. *Been using this set up up there for 5 or 6 years and it works well for me. For the last couple seasons, I've used Frog's Hair tippet and liked it mostly. *Sometimes I have to re-tie the knots when using size 7, probably just because I'm rushing to get the flies in the water. *Never had one jump into my hands while tying, but that would be a good story. *Interesting topic, I lood forward to reading other responses.

David Knapp

05-12-2006 07:12 PM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

These are some interesting responses. For the park, I usually stick to 4x or 5x for my first fly and then use 6x for the dropper. If I am fishing a single fly, I'll generally use 4x in higher water, 5x when the water is at normal levels, and then for those late fall low water conditions I normally use 6x. I don't believe I've fished anything smaller than 6x in the park before more than once or twice. It also depends on my rod selection for the day. I break off too often when using very light tippets with a fast action rod. However, if I'm using a slower action rod, it protects those light tippets quite nicely!

David Knapp

Waterborn

05-13-2006 08:31 AM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

I pretty much stick to 6x up to anything to a #14 and 5x for anything bigger and for the most part a 71/2 foot leader, with the the exception of some 9' on Little River...

scflyfisher

05-13-2006 11:17 AM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

Good advice from all you guys. It's always fun to hear what other people do with their setup. b/c we all tend to have our own individual way we like to do it. I fished with an LRO guide a few years ago and he tied on 3x mono tippet with about a size 10 prince nymph and had me catching fish on little river. The water was up a little, but not bad at all. I was shocked when I saw him put this on my line, b/c I thought I would never catch fish there with anything bigger than 5x. Now, I wouldn't do this with the super low/clear water in fall and summer, but it really made me realize that I was putting more emphasis on the size of my tippet than quality of my drift. It's amazing what size tippet you can get away with on a good drift, and its nice having the comfort of 3x if you happen to hook something big which is a possibility everyday on little river. I still tend to use 5x on dries and 5x flouro for a dropper in normal water. Another intersting story, One day I was fishing slick water on the Davidson in NC, water that everyone says you have to use 7x or 8x to catch any fish. Last summer I tied on a #6 chernobyl with 3x mono. Made a good drift and a 18" brown that only eats on 7/8x came up in slick water, investigated it for 2-3 seconds and ate it. This is the biggest wild fish I have ever landed and it came on 3x in a place where everyone says you need 7/8x and #24-28 midges. Focus on a good drift b/c that will give it away long before the tippet will.

scflyfisher

TomW

05-13-2006 09:04 PM

Re: Tippet Size vs. Fish Production

Since we are talking about tippets..... When nylon tippet coils on the surface, each time the tippet coils into or out of the surface there is a shadow on the bottom. Does flurocarbon tippet do the same thing or not????